(Photo: Khem Sovannara, Cambodge Soir)Monday, April 02, 2007
By Ung Chamroeun
Cambodge Soir
Unofficial Translation from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read Cambodge Soir’s original article in French
Deprived from voting in 2002, in the name of religious impartiality, the monks are authorized to vote now, but not many of them showed up to the polling stations.
In a pagoda in Takhmao, Kandal province, four young monks are discussing on this commune election Sunday morning. Three of them are showing off proudly their index finger blackened by the voting ink, a proof that they have already voted. The fourth monk, too young, does not bear this distinctive mark. However, he is not the only one who had not voted, several elder monks who could vote, did not take part in the voting even though a monk edict was issued to this effect by Tep Vong, the supreme patriarch of the monks in Cambodia, allowing them to officially vote as a “citizen,” – a right which was not given to them in the previous election so as to preserve “religious impartiality.”
“I was somewhat ashamed to go to vote as a monk, in front of other citizens. So, I did not go to vote early, at the opening of the polling station,” one of the four young monks said. “Participating in the election is part of our duties. We are citizens like others.” “The commune chief is also our chief,” one of the four monks added. “He has influence over the pagoda, he participates in some decision-makings, he is in charge of security during religious festivals…,” the monk said, as is to justify his voting action while wearing his saffron robe.
Samen, a 28-year-old monk from Wat Botum in Phnom Penh, fulfilled his citizen duty for the first time. He believes that this is not totally conforming to “the true Buddhist discipline, according to which, voting is tantamount to betting and should therefore be banned.” “But what can I do? The law said that we are citizens like other people. And we are repeating nonstop that we must maintain the relationships between the Buddhist world and the laymen world. That’s why I went to vote!” he explained. Samen remains nevertheless an exception in his pagoda: “Several monks are not interested in the elections and they are not even registered on the voting lists. But this is not a problem for me. Voting or not, it’s the freedom of each one of us,” he concluded.
In a pagoda in Takhmao, Kandal province, four young monks are discussing on this commune election Sunday morning. Three of them are showing off proudly their index finger blackened by the voting ink, a proof that they have already voted. The fourth monk, too young, does not bear this distinctive mark. However, he is not the only one who had not voted, several elder monks who could vote, did not take part in the voting even though a monk edict was issued to this effect by Tep Vong, the supreme patriarch of the monks in Cambodia, allowing them to officially vote as a “citizen,” – a right which was not given to them in the previous election so as to preserve “religious impartiality.”
“I was somewhat ashamed to go to vote as a monk, in front of other citizens. So, I did not go to vote early, at the opening of the polling station,” one of the four young monks said. “Participating in the election is part of our duties. We are citizens like others.” “The commune chief is also our chief,” one of the four monks added. “He has influence over the pagoda, he participates in some decision-makings, he is in charge of security during religious festivals…,” the monk said, as is to justify his voting action while wearing his saffron robe.
Samen, a 28-year-old monk from Wat Botum in Phnom Penh, fulfilled his citizen duty for the first time. He believes that this is not totally conforming to “the true Buddhist discipline, according to which, voting is tantamount to betting and should therefore be banned.” “But what can I do? The law said that we are citizens like other people. And we are repeating nonstop that we must maintain the relationships between the Buddhist world and the laymen world. That’s why I went to vote!” he explained. Samen remains nevertheless an exception in his pagoda: “Several monks are not interested in the elections and they are not even registered on the voting lists. But this is not a problem for me. Voting or not, it’s the freedom of each one of us,” he concluded.
12 comments:
C-P-P has won E-L-E-C-T-I-O-N phissavongvong mee aun euy,ah eu eung euy, c-p-p won by land slide. OH YEAH , we havs won agin. Eat your heart out SRP,NRP,FUNCINPEC.....
i don't understand why an educated person like yourselves keeps on supporting people who restricts your advancement.
Even slaves think about promotion in society. Are you a demon? You like sucking off people's misery don't you?
Congratulation. You and your Si Aich, Si Pee Si mdong tit hoi. Please while you're still doing it, clean all the aich and mess so that our next generation gvt. will be better off without all your excess aich(shit) left-over from your meal.
Nope, we're gonna leave the whole thing(aich) for your next gereration to enjoy. get it shithead.
Tep Vong is losing his credibility, not long Hanoi will fire him from power...
super retarded gringos... times to shut your mouth!
Fire my ass...
Again, Ah Khmer-Yuon Monks is going
to destroy our religion by getting
into politic. I say we beat the
crap out of them and send them back
to South Vietnam.
that's too bad. Si Pee Si Aich. I thought you are a specialist at that. Don't do anything less then what your name and reputations call for. Eat all of the shit up. And come eat my shit too! Clean up my bathroom okay!
Lick my ass clean! Alright Sii Aich Si PEE. Drink my pee too okay! Its your job. Your names call for it. Now go fucker and live up to your expectation, you won, you been given another chance to fulfill that expectation!
Why don't send them back to the north, there will be no south, soon.
Well, we don't want to send them
north to contaminate Hanoi religion
either. If we send them south, soon
or later, they will be picked up by
UFO and dumped somewhere in outta
space. Get it?
Don't send them anywhere , let they stay wherever they want so they can cause hevoc as they please....
Wrong, we can't let scammers take
advantage of our law-abiding
citizens. We look out for Khmers,
and they look out of us, just like
in the recent election. Get it?
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